So I do realize that it isn't really that long that we have had Surface but I think long enough to be able to tell what we like now and what we don't. For me I really am enjoying the device. My wife just recently got me the touch cover and that just adds to the experience. I don't think I could picture using it without it now, just to have the option and get some work done on it. Having said that I think we all know there are a few things that we want to see from the device in the future. So at this time next year this is my list for what I would want:

1. A move away from desktop and more into the tiles set up. I don't care how much they change, but in a year I would like to see at least some of the control panel settings into the app area settings. I for one actually like having the ability to go into the desktop area and fool around with files and folders and settings, but at the same time I believe it is confusing to the average person who just wants to pick up the device and dive in.

2. This one might be a little bit picky but I would like some refinement for the touch cover. For instance right now when I use a two finger scroll then switch to just flicking the mouse around, there is a one or two second delay, also the volume goes mute every once and awhile. I believe this could be a quick fix in an update though.

3. Most major apps. I don't have to have all of them but some of the big names would be nice. A nice refined Ereader for your own epub files would be nice. twitter, facebook, instagram, pinterest, flip board etc. and some more games which I know will be coming.

#4 is a dream thatI can wish all I want for but probably won't get.

4.XBMC!!!! this system is absolutely perfect for xbmc and I would be ecstatic if it came.

5. A designated notifications area. Possibly a siri like competitor, but this isn't as high on my list and wouldn't be disappointed if it didn't happen.

So there's what I want to see (sorry I know a bit long winded).. Anything your wanting to see by next years time on Surface?

I understand why the desktop is in windows 8, but the fact that its in windows rt is just plain laziness. I cringe everytime the desktop opens. So yeah, I agree with that point.

I'd like to see a much better text input. The wp7/8 is so good, I'm not sure where they went wrong. Selecting a letter, or place in a sentence, without the track pad, is such a headache.

It is not pure laziness and was actually the result of a lot of effort on the part of the designers. It was a conscious decision intended to provide a bridge and, as was just the case earlier today while speaking to an older gentlemen interested in Surface, it achieves that goal. Quite frankly, if Surface was designed without that legacy familiarity, it would have gone the same way as Courier. Bill Gates would have met privately with Ballmer and the design team and exerted his influence to kill it. Just because you do not like it does not make you the arbiter of everyone's preference. BTW, to further the point of personal taste and preference, I can't stand the WP7 keyboard and found the onscreen keyboard of the Transformer Prime I sold to be an appalling joke. The only two onscreen keyboards I have found to be at all useful are the ones in the Surface tablet and the BlackBerry Playbook. It is all a matter of preference and you will never make everyone happy....

Same for me. Surface would be a far worse product for me without desktop.

On an another note where-ever mainstream tech goes, I hope there will be premium quality products with Surface's form factor years from here. I want basically an upgraded Surface when it's one day time to upgrade again. Doesn't have to be Microsoft, but the same amazing premium feel and the form factory is mandatory! :D

Seems strange to me that anyone would purchase a Surface with the intention of mainly using the desktop, especially since you can't install desktop apps. Why not wait for the Surface Pro? Each to their own I guess.

As for the keyboard, my main issue is the text selection. It's a real pain to select a specific spot in a sentence without the touchpad. On wp7/8, you can bring up the moveable cursor quite easily. Again, just my opinion. Otherwise, I find the onscreen keyboard to be very similar to the wp7/8.

yeah I guess it really is just personal preference when it comes to the desktop. Like I said I don't mind fooling around in the desktop but just would like a more main area for settings. it gets annoying having 2 sets of settings. and with some social sites I don't agree that the website is good enough.. take pinterest for example when trying to repin something you actually cant without the use of a mouse. so maybe this could be a fix in explorer but sometimes the app versions of a website can give you really nice touch interface. IMO